Goodbye Awl, just

Up some time between 9 and 10 after a reasonable amount of sleep and decided to have a late breakfast with the kids and A Wu, as Awl was not yet out of bed (not that I checked). But at his office, A Wu was rather busy, and we ended up driving the whole 200 yards there at midday and the four of us had a nice simple meal, bringing a couple of portions back for Awl.

The kids were taken out and we were looking at which films to put on Awl's Nexus 7. We started watching Equilibrium in order to ascertain whether it was worth putting on and ended up watching the first half an hour until we realised Awl needed to go soon so he grabbed a shower and I copied over some stuff for him.

We'd already been told we had a lift to the airport with Si Ji in A Ni's car. So we got in at 2.30pm and picked up Leilei as I knew he'd appreciate the ride. Then we went and picked some other bloke up who was very important apparently. I should have known there would be more reason to go to Nanning than just taking us. Unfortunately we realised when we were going into Nanning, rather than around it, that we were dropping off the important gentleman first. This gentleman had a daughter of university age apparently, and was asking about good universities in London. It was quite a difficult conversation with new words for me like Masters and PhD and Economics. I ended up telling him I'd contact him by email and send him more info. So many people with money here want to send their offspring to study abroad - there must be money to be made there.

I asked if we needed to go to the centre and was told "no", but we ended up in the equivalent of St John's Wood on the way to Gatwick. I was not impressed and said we'd get a taxi when we dropped the important bloke off, but was told it would be no quicker, which was true looking at the map. Well it would have been true had we not pulled up alongside another black saloon car 15 minutes later to hand over some big brown envelope through the windows making it look like a very suspicious deal indeed. It was already 4.30 and we'd been told we'd be at the airport at 4pm, so we were worried now as we still had half of Nanning to negotiate. We were told not to worry as usual, the traffic was bad, and Si Ji drove as if he was as important as A Wu's X6. At one stage when the speed picked up a little, to my horror a woman in a bright orange top with a bicycle and a long sweeping brush nonchalantly walked into the middle of the first lane and cars had to turn violently to avoid this apparent suicide attempt. I shamefully said the F word with Leilei sitting next to me. As the woman stood in the middle of the lane and we went past her, prolonging her life by seconds apparently, I noticed a load of shattered glass on the road and hoped, actually realised, that this poor woman was there to clear it up without so much as a cone to stop traffic. I would like to know what her life insurance policy would cost if she had one.

It was a quarter to five now and the traffic slowed to a halt. Si Ji had been gloating a bit before when we got a little speed up saying he knew this was the best road. What he didn't know was that he couldn't predict the accident that had happened ahead, and it was nearly 5pm by the time we passed it and zig-zagged our way through the traffic for the rest of the 10k or so to the airport making it soon after 5pm. He said he knew we'd make it, but looked a little sheepish. In the airport there wasn't much of a queue, and unfortunately I couldn't get Awl into the lounge as I wasn't flying. So Leilei and I bade him farewell and that was the last of the English to leave our shores.

I had arranged to meet Uncle Yellow at 6pm on the assumption that I'd be leaving Nanning airport around 4pm. Now that was not so much up the spout as in the teacup mixing with the milk as we had yet another errand to run in Nanning, so wouldn't be taking the ring road back either. It would have been rude to say so, but if only we'd been told about this we'd have made our own leisurely way to the airport instead of watching 30 mins of Equilibrium. Si Ji parked the car and looked annoyed as the person he needed to meet was not there and wouldn't answer his phone. I'd already phoned Uncle Yellow to inform him of my impending lateness, and not wishing to wait in the car Leilei and I got out for a stroll. There's not that much opportunity to do this as typically we're with Xixi or they're with friends or family. But here in Nanning there was just us and our imaginations. I noticed a large revolving globe outside some company opposite a park and asked Leilei what was right about the writing on the globe. I suppose it wasn't obvious to him but in general English words are spelt in the American version if there is a choice. But here was written "Business Centre". I've noticed this discrepancy before and wondered if it's simply a different translation agency or if originally most English signs were in British English and gradually it became more American; until now British English was a sign of older times.

I didn't really have much time to wonder, nor really cared that much, and Leilei wanted me to take a picture of the world in his hands which I obligingly did, before the inevitable call from Si Ji to say he'd done his business (apparently picking up of some goods and putting them in the boot) and we were to go. Well we went but it took an age and a half to get out of Nanning to the fast road by which time it was gone 6.30. That makes an age about 40 minutes, but it all depends on context, and traffic jams can make 40 minutes feel like an age.

Leilei holding up the world with the help of a snooker glove

The only thing that could slow us down on the now nearly empty road to Pingguo was the weather, which it obligingly did, with another fearsome storm turning dusk into midnight blue in a minute only to light it up with the most streaking of lightning. Again, Si Ji seemed mesmerised by it which doesn't bode well for a professional driver. But it had passed by the time we finally got to Pingguo and after dropping off Leilei "no sorry you can't come with me for the meal tonight son..." I arrived 1h45m late at the cool cave where I found my friends already in good spirits and most of the food already gone. Well I did tell them not to wait for me, and like the weather, they had obliged too. But I sat down and gan bei'd with these mates, most of whom I'd ate with in the last 2-3 years, then the inevitable cai ma but I was just too full of bubbles from the beer that within 40 minutes I just had to have a rest from it. I did manage some dog though but only stayed till around 10pm as was knackered and said I'd do the kids.

Then Uncle Yellow said they'd be doing the same thing tomorrow lunchtime as they'd missed me today. I asked what time and he said from three to four. Hmmm. Well I said I'd be glad to and got a san lun che back to settle the kids and wait till Tan got back.